Game 44: Fuel at Cincinnati

The Indy Fuel had a late push, but it fell short Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to the Cincinnati Cyclones at the U.S. Bank Arena.

Rhett Bly scored midway through the third for Indy, but Cyclones goaltender Andy Iles made 24 saves, including a couple of tough ones late, to stave off a comeback.

Cincy scored twice in the first, as defenseman Brett Wysopal scored 6:28 into the game, and Brandon Gracel followed with a backhander four and a half minutes later.

While both teams had abbreviated power plays in the first, and the Fuel killed off a minor in the second, Indy started the third down 2-0 and with a power play. It was cut short with a penalty to Zach Miskovic as he broke up a breakaway.

Cincinnati pushed the lead to three when Andrew Yogan threw the puck in front and Jack Downing tipped it past Fuel netminder Shane Owen 6:20 into the third. The Fuel were able to answer with 8:51 left, when Nick Mattson’s shot from the point was knocked down, and Dylan Clarke’s follow-up deflected to Bly in the low slot. Bly spun to the backhand and lifted the puck under the bar.

Indy kept pushing, but Iles made a number of big saves down the stretch.

Indy saw a four-game winning streak snapped, and was defeated for the first time in three meetings with the Cyclones – all of which have been in Cincinnati to date. The two teams will meet again in a home-and-home Feb. 5-6.

A good late push for the Fuel, but Cincinnati was able to hold on after a strong start. We’ll be seeing the Cyclones a lot in the last two months of the season – especially in the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

While Cody Sharib’s four-game point streak was snapped, Rhett Bly continued his recent run of scoring. With his 10th goal, he tied Cody Sharib for the team lead among players on the current roster. He has goals in three straight games, and point sin four of his last five (3-3-6).

Nick Mattson had the second assist, and now has points in three of his last five games. Clarke had his first point in three games after missing three-plus weeks due to an injury.

Ben Marshall generated a lot of offense from the point. He had nearly one-third of the Fuel’s shots, getting eight on goal. Derek Roehl was second on the team with four shots.

The Fuel PK held the Cyclones to 0-for-3. The Fuel have now killed 12 straight penalties spanning four full games (and part of a fifth). Indy’s PP was 0-for-2, although both man advantage situations (as well as 2 of Cincy’s 3 PPs) were abbreviated.

The Fuel are now 3-1-0 in their stretch of eight straight division games, which continues this weekend with two games against Evansville.

Roster move: Prior to the game, veteran goaltender Cedrick Desjardins was loaned to the Fuel from the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack. Desjardins is under contract to the New York Rangers. Brent Hollerud, who was the emergency backup for the last two game,s is back to the front office as the Fuel’s digital content coordinator. Desjardins was the Kelly Cup Playoff MVP in 2008. He has played six NHL games, all with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is a 30-year-old goaltender in his 10th professional season. He has played five ECHL games this year for the Manchester Monarchs, going 2-2-0 with a 2.73 GAA and .901 save percentage.

Next up: The Fuel host the Evansville IceMen Friday and Saturday, with the puck dropping at 7:35 p.m. both nights.

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